A special official meeting was held on today (03) between the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Counsellor of the Spanish Embassy, Juan Manuel Velasco León, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Dr. B. K. Kolita Kamal Jinadasa, at the Ministry premises.

During the meeting, Spain, a leading nation in the tuna fishing industry in the Indian Ocean region, expressed its interest in strengthening fisheries cooperation with Sri Lanka. The discussions focused extensively on enhancing bilateral collaboration to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in the Indian Ocean, while reaffirming the Sri Lankan Government’s commitment to addressing the issue.

The Spanish representative also agreed to extend the necessary technical assistance to Sri Lanka in implementing the BBNJ Agreement and to support the development of human resources in the country’s fisheries sector.

Special attention was given to sharing Spain’s advanced aquaculture technologies with Sri Lanka, particularly in mussel and oyster farming, as well as modern tuna fishing technologies, includingTuna and  purse seiner vessel operations and related fishing methods.

Senior officials from the Department of Fisheries and the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) also participated in the discussions. The meeting concluded with both sides expressing optimism about further strengthening bilateral cooperation in the fisheries sector and facilitating the transfer of advanced technologies and expertise to support the sustainable development of Sri Lanka’s fisheries industry.